author
Hong Ge
284–364
A fourth-century Chinese writer and thinker, Ge Hong is best remembered for blending practical learning with big questions about health, morality, and the search for immortality. His work ranges from Daoist philosophy and alchemy to medicine, giving modern readers a vivid window into the intellectual life of early medieval China.
1 Audiobook
西京雜記
by Hong Ge
About the author
Born in the Eastern Jin period, Ge Hong is usually dated to 283 or 284, with sources differing on the year of his death. He served as an official and wrote across a remarkably wide range of subjects, including philosophy, religion, medicine, and language.
He is especially associated with Daoism and with Baopuzi (The Master Who Embraces Simplicity), a work that mixes arguments about self-cultivation, immortality practices, and public life. What makes him stand out is the way he tried to connect lofty spiritual ambitions with ordinary ethical conduct and disciplined study.
Ge Hong is also remembered for medical writing, especially Emergency Formulae at an Elbow's Length, a handbook of practical remedies. That combination of curiosity, usefulness, and spiritual ambition has kept his writing influential for centuries.